Single-trigger mechanism.



Patented rm. ll, I902.

No. 7l3,535.

m; A. TIGHE. SINGLE TRIGGER MECHANISM.

(Application filed May 5, 1902.)

4 sheets sheei 1.

(No Model.)

Li I! 1w mvmw Y a-umn, wAsumGiou, o. c.

No. 78,535. Patented Nov. ll, I902.

' m. A. TIGHE.

SINGLE TRIGGEBM-EGHANESM.

(Applicafiion filed my 5, 1902.)

v 4 Shaets$he'et 2.

(No Model.)

No. 7|3,535. Patented Nov. ll, I902.

NI. A. TIGHE.

"SINGLE TRIGGER MECHANISM.-

(Application filed. May 5, 1902.

4 Sheets$he'et 3.

(.No Model.)

No. 713,535. Pat ented Nov. ll, I902.

' m. A. mama.

SINGLE TRIGGER MECHANISM.

(Application flied my 5, 1902.) I v (No Mode l.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

UNITED ST TES ATENT OFFICE.

MIOHAELAUGUSIUS TIGHE, OF PRINGESRISBOROUGH, ENGLAND.

SINGLE-TRIGGER MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 7l3,535,'datedl\lovember11, 1902.

' Application filed May 5, 1902. fierial No. 106,064. (No model.)

f all whom in party concern:

Be it known thatgLMlonann AUGUSTUS TIGHE, major IndianStafi Corps, asubject of the King of England, residing at Princes Hisborough, countyof Buckingham, England,

have invented certain' new and useful Improvements in or Relating toSingle-Trigger Mechanism for Double-Barreled Guns and Rifles, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to single trigger mechanism for double-barreledguns, rifles, pistols, and the like, and by its use the mechanism issimplified, the number of parts reduced, and the amount of stock cutaway is also reduced. K h

Theimprovementis applicableto guns of the type known as ham merless orof those hav-l ing hammers and with or without side plates,

any slight modification in detail being made to suit the respectiveapplications. The gun has eithera selective or a non-selective action.

In carrying out this invention as applied to a double-barreled gun orthe like, in which .2 5 the action is to be non-selective, two tumblersor hammers and two corresponding sears of the usual type lying side by-side are employed, and a single trigger is provided, having a head toengage one sear-tail, a shoulder lower than the head to engage thesecond sear-tail, and a recess to accommodate the; first sear-tailduring the second discharge.

A portion of the breech action is arranged as,

a stop. to prevent the first sear-tail from being 3 5 raised up farenough to allow the shoulder to reach the second sear-tail during thefirst discharge. 3

In order that the first sear-tail may be ac-- coinmodated in the recessin the trigger dur 4o ing the second discharge, it is necessary tol cutan indentation in the tumbler to allow the first sear-tail to fall belowits cocked position afterthe first discharge. The size of theindentation willdepend upon the distance through which the s ear-tailmustf a ll.

In the case of the selective.actionthetrigger is laterally movable toacertain I extent;

The trigger is .provided with. a central head to engage one sear-tailand two shoulders lower than the head, one of which can engage with theother sear-tail. As before, a recess trigger, showing one formofshifter.

a side elevation of thesame.

or space. is formed in the trigger to receive the first sear;t-ailduring the second discharge. Any convenient device is employed to shiftthe trigger-from, side .to side and to temporarily hold it in position.

Preferably the pivot-pin projects into bearings in the triggerplate, inwhich the pin can slide laterally, and a spring-catch or the likeyieldingly holds the trigger at one side or the other. The

pivot-pin projects into countersunk portions 7 of the side plates, so asto be directly movable by the finger and thumb, or a cam or the like canbe used as a shifter, preferably placed in a position in which it can beeasily operated.

Q In he accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation ofaportionof the action of 1a double-barreled gun of non-selective type "to whichthis invention has been applied, showing the successive positions of thehammers, sears, and trigger. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same.Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the action of adouble-barreled gun of the selective type as constructed in accordancewith one method of carrying out this invention; and Fig. 4 is ahorizontal section through the pivot of the Fig. 5 is a plan of aportion of the action of a doublebarreled gun of the selective type,showing one method of shifting the trigger.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the trigger-plate and trigger of a'gunof the selective type, showing the flanges that cover the aperture inthe plate; and Fig. 8 is a perspective of a portion of the action of adouble-barreled gun, showing one construction of the sears. Like'lettersindicate like parts throughout the drawings. I

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the tumblers or hammers A and thescars B may be of any ordinary form and are placed side by side at asuitable distance apart, the sear-tails B B projecting toward eachother,but leaving sufficient clearance between them. The sear-nose B isarranged to engagein the ordinary recess A in the tumbler when cocked.The trigger G is pivoted below the sear-tails and operates somewhatbehind them. The trigger O is provided with a head 0' at one Fig. 6 is vICC side to engage the first sear-tail B and a shoulder 0 lower than thehead, to engage the second sear-tail B A recess C is also formed in thetrigger to accommodate the first seartail B during the second discharge.The action-body forms a stop D to limit the motion of the first sear inorder to prevent the shoulder 0 from reaching the second sear-tail Bduring the first discharge. Other means may be employed for thispurpose. For example, an artificial stop may be provided on thetrigger-plate lump or elsewhere. The trigger is controlled by a springE, as in Figs. 1 or 3, and the sears by springs F.

In the construction shown an indentation A is cut in the tumbler A toreceive the searnose B in order that the sear-tail B may fall below itscocked position after the first discharge and pass into the recess 0during the second discharge. With some constructions of tumbler thiswould not be necessary.

The operation of the mechanism is as follows: When the gun is cocked,the tumbler A is tilted back until the sear-noses B engage the recessesA. The sears B then occupy the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1.When the trigger O is pulled back by the finger, the head 0 in the firstplace comes into contact with the sear-tail B and pushes it upward, thusremoving the sear-nose B from the recess A and releasing the firsttumbler or hammer A. The sear B comes into contact with the action-bodyat D and blocks the motion or the trigger. The trigger C when releasedfrom the operators finger returns, under the influence of its spring E,to zero, and the sear-spring F brings the first sear-- tail B to itslowest position, the sear-nose B falling into the indentation A in thetumbler, if necessary. When the trigger O is pulled to discharge thesecond barrel, the first sear-tail B is accommodated in the recess O inthe trigger 0, while the latter proceeds forward until the shoulder Cengages the second sear-tail B and discharges the second barrel. Thetrigger has therefore to be pulled farther in the second case than inthe first.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, which illustrate the selective action,the trigger O is laterally movable to a certain extent, a clearance Gbeing left between the trigger and the sides of the recess in which itis mounted. The trigger O is provided with a central head 0 to engageone sear-tail, and two shoulders 0 lower than the head, one of which canengage with the other sear-tail. As before, a recess (3 is formed in thetrigger to receive the first sear-tail during the second discharge.Projecting from the trigger is a pin H, which conveniently consists oftwo portions screwed together and which can slide laterally in bearingsD in the trigger-plate D, Fig. 2. In order to hold the trigger Otemporarily at one side or other of the recess, a spring-catch J isfastened to the pin H. If the rifle or gun has side plates, as in Fig.4, plates K can be countersunk, as at K, to allow access tothe ends ofthe pin H without permitting the ends to project beyond the surfaces ofthe plates. The spring-catch J may act by engaging either with theoutside or inside of one of the plates K.

The operation of the mechanism is as follows: When the gun is cocked,the trigger C is moved to the side of the barrel which it is desired todischarge firstsay to the right. When the trigger is pulled, the head 0engages the sear-tail B 011 the side to which the trigger has been movedand discharges the first barrel. The trigger is then released andsprings back to zero. When the trigger C is pulled the second time, theshoulder 0 which is appropriated to the second sear-tail B dischargesthe second barrel, while the first sear B is, as before, accommodated inthe recess 0 If it should be desired to discharge the lefthand barrelfirst, the trigger O is shifted to the left, and under thesecircumstances when the trigger is pulled for the first time the head 0will come into contact With the left seartail B and the left barrel willtherefore be discharged. The right-hand shoulder (1 will on the secondoperation lift the right-hand sear-tail'B. The shifting of the triggerfrom side to side is efiected by simply pressing on either end of thepin H with the finger or thumb,when the spring-catch J is moved from oneof its fixed positions to the other.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, which illustrate an alternative form ofshifter, a cam L is pivoted on the side plate K so as to abutagainst thepivot-pin H of the trigger. The pivotpinis kept pressing against the camby means of a spring M, and the cam is provided with a handle L. Byturning the handle L the trigger may be shifted from side to side, andthe handle L is placed on the outside of the gun, so that it may beeasily operated by the finger or thumb. The bearing for the shifter isso arranged thatit does not interfere with the tails of the scars toprevent them falling into their discharged position.

Referring to Fig. 7, in the case of a gun having a selective action theaperture in the trigger-plate D when the trigger O is at one side isclosed by sliding plate N.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3 the trigger-springE issufficiently broad to allow the trigger to shift laterally thereon.

In some constructions it may be more convenient to allow the spring toshift with the trigger. All the other usual working parts of the gun orthe like are employed in their ordinary functions.

Referring to Fig. 8, the sear-tails B B are bent at right angles, so asto project backward parallel to the length of the gun in order to beaccommodated inside the bearings of the trigger-pin H when it is desiredto make these particularly narrow.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent,is-

1. In a double-barreled firearm the combi- IIO nation of twospring-controlled tumblers, two spring-controlled sears, recesses in thetumblers in which the scars engage when cooked, a singlespring-controlled trigger, an operating-face on the trigger to engagethe first sear, a second operating-face lower than the first to engagethe second sear, means for lim} iting the motion of the first sear sothat only one can be operated at a single pull, means for accommodatingthe first sear during the second discharge and means for permitting thefirst-operated sear-tail to drop below cocked position.

2. In a double-barreled firearm the combination of two spring-controlledtumblers, two spring-controlled sears, recesses in the tum.- blers inwhich the sears engage when cooked, a single spring-controlled triggerlaterally movable, a central operating-face on the trigger to engage thefirst sear, two lower operating-faces one of which can engage the othersear, means for limiting the motion of the first sear so that only onecan be operated at a single pull, means for accommodating thefirstoperated sear during the second discharge and means for permittingthe first-operated sear-tail to drop below cocked position.

3. In a double-barreled firearm the combination of two spring-controlledtumblers, two spring-controlled sears, recesses in the tum blers inwhich the sears engage when cooked, a single spring -controlled triggerlaterally movable, a central operating-face on the trigger to engage thefirst sear, two lower operating-faces one of which can engage the othersear, means for limiting the motion of the first sear so that only onecan be operated at a single pull, means for accommodating thefirst-operated sear during the second discharge, means for permittingthe first-operated sear-tail to drop below cocked position, and a pinprojecting from the trigger into bearings in the body of the firearm.

4. In a dOuble-barreled firearm the combination of two spring-controlledtumblers, two spring-controlled sears, recesses in the tumblers in whichthe sears engage when cocked, a single spring-controlled triggerlaterally movable, a central operating-face on the trigger to engage thefirst sear, two lower operating-faces one of which can engage the othersear, means for limiting the motion of the first sear so that only onecan be operated at a single pull, means for accommodating the firstoperated sear during the second dis charge and means for permitting thefirst-operated sear-tail to drop below cocked position, a pin projectingfrom the trigger into bearings in the body of the firearm, and aspringcatch on the trigger to yieldingly hold it at one side or theother.

5. In a double-barreled firearm the combination of two spring-controlledtumblers, two spring-controlled sears, recesses in the tumblers in whichthe scars engage when cooked, a single spring-controlled triggerlaterally movable, a central operating-face on thetrigger to engage thefirst sear, twolower operating-faces one of which can engage the othersear, means for limiting the motion of the first sear so that only onecan be operated at a single pull, means for accommodating thefirstoperated sear during the second discharge, a pin projecting fromthe triggerinto bearings in the body of the firearm, a springcatch onthe trigger to yieldingly hold it at one side or the other and means foraccommodating the sear-noses so that the sear-tails fallbelow the cookedposition after discharge.

6. In a double-barreled firearm the combination of two spring-controlledtumblers, two spring-controlledsears, recesses in the tumblers engagingwith the sears when cooked, tails on the sears, a singlespring-controlled trigger, a head on the trigger to engage the firstsear-tail, a shoulder on the trigger-lower than the head to engage theother sear-tail, a recess in the trigger to accommodate the firstsear-tail during the second discharge and means for permitting thefirst-operated seartail to drop below cocked position.

7. In a double-barreled firearm the combination of two spring-controlledtumblers, two spring-controlled sears, recesses in the tumblers engagingwith the sears when cooked, tails on the scars, a singlespring-controlled trigger, a head on the trigger. to engage the firstsear-tail, a shoulder on the trigger lower than the head to engage theother sear-tail, a recess in the trigger to accommodate the firstsear-tail during the second discharge, means for permit-ting thefirst-operated seartail to drop below cocked position and stops to blockthe first-operated sear so that only one tumbler can be released at asingle pull.

8. In a double-barreled firearm the combination of two spring-controlledtumblers, two spring-controlled sears, recesses in the tum blersengaging with the scars when cocked, tails on the scars, a singlespring-controlled trigger laterally movable, a central head on thetrigger to engage the first sear-tail, two shoulders on the triggerlower than the head, one of which can engage the remaining seartail, arecess in the trigger to accommodate the first sear-tail during thesecond discharge, means for permitting the first-operated seartail todrop below cocked position and stops to block the first-operated sear sothat only one tumbler can be released at a single pull.

9. In a double-barreled firearm the combination of two spring-controlledtumblers, two spring-controlled sears, recesses in the tumblers engagingwith the sears when cooked, tails on the sears, a singlespring-controlled trigger laterally movable, a central head on thetrigger to engage the first sear-tail, two shoulders on the triggerlower than the head, one of which can engage the remaining sear- "tail,a recess in the trigger to accommodate the first sear-tail during thesecond discharge, means for permitting the first-operated seartail todrop below cocked position, stops to block the first-operated sear sothat only one &

tumbler can be released at a single pull, a pin projecting from thetrigger into bearings in the firearm and a spring-catch on the triggerto yieldingly hold it to one side or the other.

10. In a double-barreled firearm the combination of twospring-controlled tumblers, two spring-controlled sears, recesses in thetumblers engaging with the sears when cocked, tails on the sears, asingle spring-controlled trigger laterally movable, a central head onthe trigger to engage the first sear-tail, two shoulders on the triggerlower than the head, one of which can engage the remaining seartail, arecess in the trigger to accommodate the first sear-tail during thesecond discharge,

MICHAEL AUGUSTUS TIGHE.

\Vitnesses:

WILLIAM H. BALLANTYNE, HARRY B. BRIDGES.

